The Original Lilly Conference on College Teaching is one of the nation’s most renowned conferences presenting the scholarship of teaching and learning. Milt Cox, founder and Director Emeritus of the Conference, envisioned a venue for teacher-scholars to engage in scholarship and community. Milt’s work with faculty learning communities (FLCs), which he originated at Miami University in 1979, gave rise to the first Lilly Conference in 1981. At that time there was no venue in higher education for presenting and sharing the teaching and learning projects developed by those FLC members, and so Milt designed a conference to provide a platform to promote effective teaching, interest in and enthusiasm for the profession of teaching, and communication among faculty about their classroom experiences. Three years later, the Lilly Endowment, whose grant funded the first FLCs, offered the name “Lilly” for the initial conference. Milt’s vision had come to fruition.
For the past 40 years, teacher-scholars from across the U.S. and internationally have gathered annually on the Miami University campus the weekend before Thanksgiving to share innovative pedagogies and discuss questions, challenges, and insights about teaching and learning. The Lilly Conference welcomes all participants who share an interest in improving college teaching through evidence-based practices, including faculty and administrators at universities, four-year colleges, and two-year colleges. Over the years, many notable founders and contributors have helped to make the Conference a success as organizers, facilitators, and presenters.
The Conference has also become known as a teaching retreat. Deans and chief academic officers often support the attendance of faculty teams at Lilly as recognition for outstanding faculty and for faculty development, and institutions planning Teaching and Learning Centers have found the Conference an effective way to meet and “scout” exceptional teacher-scholars. Miami University, with its timeless Georgian architecture and beautiful wooded areas, makes an attractive location for learning. Among the many amenities afforded by the campus venue is the opportunity for college students to work as Conference session chairs. These students’ enthusiastic participation and insights add the important perspectives of those we teach and learn from.
In his 1990 Lilly keynote address, Ernest Boyer called for a written forum to publish the scholarship of teaching and learning. The Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, founded in 1990 by Milt Cox and Laurie Richlin, answers that call. The peer-reviewed Journal, published four times a year at Miami University, provides a scholarly, written forum for discussion by faculty about all areas affecting teaching and learning and gives faculty the opportunity to share proven, innovative pedagogies.
The success of the Original Lilly Conference gave rise to regional Lilly Conferences around the U.S. and internationally. A Lilly Conference history would not be complete without recognizing the key contributions of Lilly Directors from other institutions both past and present: Todd Zakrajsek and Deb Van Etten, who plan and direct five other Lilly Conferences: Anaheim (CA), Bethesda (MD), Traverse City (MI), Asheville (NC), and Austin (TX); Saouma Boujaude and Amal BouZeineddine, co-Directors of the Lilly-endorsed conference at American University Beirut; and Laurie Richlin, Director of Lilly – West in California for 25 years as well as directing as many as seven Lilly Conferences a year. All of these current and former directors have done a terrific job capturing the “Lilly Spirit” for participants at their Lilly Conferences.
The Original Lilly Conference is made possible by the outstanding collaborative team efforts of Miami University’s Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) staff: Ellen Yezierski, Director; Lisa Sheard, Technical Communications Specialist; Alicia Miller, Administrative Associate; and Rebekah Ballard, Program Associate.
The year 2020 saw big changes for higher education and for the Original Lilly. Milt Cox, Conference Founder and Director for the past 40 years, retired and left an enormous legacy. The entire Lilly community offers Milt a huge thanks for his years of leadership that will continue to inspire current and future generations of teacher-scholars. Gregg Wentzell, former Associate Director, became the new Director. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic made it necessary to postpone the Original Lilly Conference for the first time ever.
In 2021 the Original Lilly Conference on College Teaching celebrates its 40th year of presenting and publishing the scholarship of teaching and learning!